Sorry, this has become long. TL;DR My grown up daughter wants to live with me, should I?
I am fairly recently widowed. I live alone in what was our family home, so far too big for me. My daughter has her own home in the next town, and a young family.
I stayed with her after my bereavement on and off for about six months. I really enjoyed helping with the children, taking them to nursery, and I kept myself busy doing household tasks like washing, tidying, cooking an evening meal. She and her partner both said it was a godsend having me there. Of course, I made myself scarce in the evening so they had time together.
I now feel that I cannot maintain my large home by myself, and have begun getting it together to sell it in the spring. However, my daughter and her partner have approached me to ask if I would consider allowing them to move in with me, as they would like to bring up the children in the rural village location rather than the less desirable location in the town, with its busy roads etc. They could not afford to buy in the leafy area where I live. I would divide the property so we had separate areas and entrances.
I get on marvellously with both of them, and would agree in a heartbeat, but I had my father living with me and my husband for ten years, and it was an absolute nightmare! I always swore I would never move in with my children.
I am relatively young and independent now, but in twenty or thirty years I may well not be. I really don’t like the idea that my daughter will be expected to be my carer. Although she probably will be anyway.
So what do you think? Would you live with your family,or cling to independence?
